Caucasus Advance Continues

Press, Volume LXXIX, Issue 23847, 16 January 1943, Page 5

Caucasus Advance Continues

! DRIVE TOWARDS ROSTOV !j (N.Z. Press Association—Copyright.) (Bee. 11 p.m.) LONDON, January 15. Further Russian advances in (he Caucasus are reported in | the midday So\iel communique. During the night Russian I troops tought (heir way forward and beat off enemy counter- | attacks. Along the Rostov-Baku railway the Russians drove the | Germans back towards Armavir. The Russian right wing north ! of the railway has made rapid progress across open country, I and highly mobile units, including Cossacks, are now half-way I to Voroshilovsk.

On the lower Don front the Russians are also making progress. although against sliffer opposition. On one sector a large German force counter-attacked, and at first made some progress, but was finally driven back to its original line after suffering heavy casualties. In the last 24 hours the Russians have taken many more occupied places. The exact position of the Russian line on (his front is not known, but on the railway another town has been occupied, and along the Don Russian troops are close lo the junction with the Donets.

In Stalingrad the Russians factories and slrongpoints in ‘«trongpoinls were destroyed.

drove the Germans out of more the industrial area. Fifty-six

The Russian forces in the Northern Caucasus arc pressing hard on the ’jiccls of the retreating Germans, in ipitc of had weather. Continuing their advance on a broad •front of about 100 miles the Russians have covered about 40 miles since crossing the Kuma river, and they are now only about 60 miles from Voroshilovsk. an important centre in the Northern Caucasus,, They are thus, m this direction, only about 200 miles from the lower Don and Rostov,

The Moscow Wednesday midnight communique reports a continued advance by the Russians in the north Caucasus. Four more towns, a railway I station, and a district centre have been captured. This centre is 16 miles north- ■ ■■west of Mineralnyevody, on the Cau-casus-Rostov railway. The Red Army moving steadily westward in the Caucasus had by Thursday morning reached the vicinity of Kurskavka. The highly mobile Russian 1 right wing pushed through fog, snow, and sleet, and reached the highway connecting Elista and Mineralnyevody at a point about 40 miles west of prikumsk. The Berlin correspondent of the Stockholm newspaper “Allohanda" says ..the Russians in the Caucasus are marshalling an appalling number of reserves, with powerful tanks. They are elite troops, supplied with incredible masses of equipment produced in factories behind the Urals and overseas. On the lower Don Soviet forces have made a break through the German defences, but Moscow does not indicate where the new break was made. It is known that the Russian forces took a large number of prisoners and a quantity of booty. On the left bank of the Don Russian forces are preparing for a fresh push towards Rostov. Six more villages have been reoccupied in one sector, and 22 German tanks were destroyed. Thrust Towards Rostov

transport aircraft bringing up enemy supplies. Moscow reports that enemy casualties in the Stalingrad battle increase daily as the Russian defenders, striking out from the city, reduce the ranks of the surrounded Germans. The German High Command states that Russian attacks in Stalingrad went on all night long in a heavy, blizzard. Heavy fighting was proceeding at dawn. The news that the Germans are being ejected from the western suburbs of Stalingrad may indicate that the Russians think that the time has approached when the encircled army has been sufficiently weakened by weeks of hardship and strain Units final destruction to be possible. No Russian communique, however, reports more than intense local fighting. The Russians arc attacking the Hungarians and Germans on a 50 miles front south of Millerovo. Berlin admits the Russian break through in one -sector. , ~ On the central front west of Moscow the enemy continues to offer stiff resistance, but all counter-attacks have been smashed. The Gormans persist in describing the fighting in and about Vclikyc Luki as if the place had never been captured from them. The view taken in London is that they may hope to regain the town, so that the necessity of admitting its loss would not arise.

The Moscow correspondent of ‘The Times" reports that the Germans have concentrated much artillery and many tanks for the defence of Rostov. They arc now doing their utmost to gain time to regroup their forces, which were thrown into confusion by heavy losses in the rapid retreat from Hotelnikov. Every farm and village is defended, and machine-gun nests are abundant, particularly along the railroad. The Russians are finding their long-barrelled anti-tank rifles, firing explosive shells, useful for the suppression of machine-gun nests. RifleI'men blast the nests before the infantry ■ attack German resistance is undoubtedly ttubborn and formidable in the region the Sal and Manich rivers, from 50 So 100 miles east of Rostov. The Germans are fighting hard to prevent the (development of any Russian advance Iwhich would threaten the vitally imIportant railway junction of .Tikhofryetsk. The Russians coming down the [railway from Zimovniki arc still 100 miles north-west of Tikhoryetsk. Dispatches from the lower Don and LCaucasian fronts state that the Rus* fian advance is being made m the worst weather. Rain and melting tnow have produced a vast expanse of Sticky mud. Tanks and other vehicles are ploughing along roads a foot deep in mud, and infantry matching beside the roads sometimes sink in knee deep. Sappers and engineeis ere labouring night and day to keep communication lines, open, particularly the railways, which the Germans have extensively demolished. The Russians in the Caucasus have been greatly aided by the capture of hundreds of hardy Italian mules, which surc-footedly carry great burdens up and down greasy slopes, ana fplash through foaming torrents. Action in Stalingrad In the Stalingrad area, the Russians have driven the enemy out of more Btrnngpoints, and destroyed 26 large

BOMBING OVER 1 EUROPE

\ [ BRITISH AND U.S. SUCCESSES (BO W, i RUGBY, Jan. 14. The Bomber Command in night operations lor the first fortnight of this year has done better than was hoped, state air commentators in London. Activity maintained night after mght, in spite of most unfavourable weather, testified to the high quality of the Royal Air Force's all-weather flying capabilities, , , . The Bomber Command has-been out on nine nights of the months first 14 days. An Air Ministry communique slates that on Thursday aircraft of the Army Co-operation Command attacked locomotives and other railway targets in Northern France. , . , , In spile of the weather, which has oocn far from good, the Royal Air Force has kept up its attacks on Germany and the occupied countries every day of the first J4 days of 1943. Some of these days have seen both day and night raiding. „ , The attacks have been far hcavici than might, have been expected on account of the weather, and while they have not been on a large scale, they have produced good results. In eight raids on the Ruhr this month on 1 v 23 bombers have been lost. A United Slates Army Air Force communique reports damage to enemy aeroplane;., transports, and personnel in a low-Hying sweep by American fighters to day. Two Focke Wulf 190's were destroyed north of Ostend, Both weie seen to crash into the sea. Other American aeroplanes attacked a small steamer with cannon-fire. Bursts were seen I , take etTect, Another force attacked two trains. In each case the locomotives were left in clouds of steam, following hits on the boilers. A convoy of troop carriers and an armv staff car were attacked north of Ostend. The staff car ended upside down in a ditch. Troops riding in the carriers were dispersed. All the aeroplanes relumed.

Leningrad Front

There is no news from Moscow about the offensives which the Germans state the Russians have launched south of Voronezh, also in the Leningrad area. The Germans report a tremendous artillery due] all Wednesday and all night south of Shlussclburg. The Gcimans are determined to maintain the ring round Leningrad, but the Russian onslaught is equally determined and success appears in sight. The Stockholm correspondent ot “The Times" states that the news ot these offensives seems genuine. The Russians are always silent for the fiist few days about new offensives. Ino Voronezh offensive, apparently, is m the directions of Staryoshol ana Valuiki. , . In spite of heavy German counte;attacks the Russians are consolidating their bridgehead across the Neva river, over which . fresh forces are crossing, under fighter cover says the Stockholm correspondent of the ‘Daily Telegraph.’ "The Russians are using large tank forces and swarms of divebombers,” The correspondent says the Russians attempting to relieve Leningrad arc using guns equal in calibie to those with which the Gormans pounded Sabastopol to dust, Reuter’s Moscow correspondent, confirming reports that Marshal Timoshenko is commanding in the Leningrad area, states that he has been there at least a month.

NEW ADVANCES BY CHINESE

HONAN TOWNS RECAPTURED

CHUNGKING, Jan. 14

A Chinese Army spokesman, amending an earlier report, said that the Chinese are not yet in complete possession of Sinyang, Fighting continues within the city walls. , The spokesman declared that the Japanese campaign in the- Tapieh mountain area had failed. The Chme.-c had reoccupicd all the mam centres. The Japanese, employing GII.UUU troops, suffered 3000 casualties A communique also reports the recapture of Hushih. 36 miles north-east of Shang-chong, and another point m Honan Province, Advancing Chinese forces arc closing in on enemy positions near Kwangchuan and Kwangshan. More than 6000 Japanese based on Yitu in the ShnngUmg Province began an attack against Chinese positions a week ago. Other Japanese troops, moving eastwards from Hopei towards Anhwei, continued to advance aftci sanguinary fighting. ... Commenting on President Rooseveltstatement that more war supplies weie reaching China by air than had cvei none over the Burma Road, the London Director of C j l,ncs ?. of Information (Dr. YolO said that the Burma Road had n'ever reached its 1 m capacity. Even it it had the supplies would have been far from enough. Supplies reaching China to-day weie ridiculously small. Dr. Yoh emphasised the need for heavy war equipment, which could not be transported by a r. -It makes the Chinese croon i ivilh envy to sec their Russian allies figntmt, so successfully,” he said.

It is reported from Rome that the Stefan j News Agency says that 13!) ■were killed and 329 injured in the Allied raid on Palermo on January 7. Since the first raid 303 have been killed at Turin and 547 injured.